Arctic Foxes in ANWR
General description
-color: white or bluish
-weigh from 6 to 10 pounds
-length: average 43 inches (109 cm) in length including the tail
-Arctic foxes molt twice each year:
-By late June the face, legs, and upper parts of the body are covered with
short, brown summer fur. The fur of the lower sides and abdomen is yellowish-
white. The change to winter pelage occurs in September and October. By
November the luxurious white winter coat is complete.
Life
-Arctic fox pups are born in dens excavated by the adults in sandy, well-
drained soils of low mounds and river cutbanks
-Litters average seven pups but may contain as many as 15 pups
-Arctic foxes are monogamous in the wild
-Pups begin to emerge from the den when about 3 weeks old and begin to hunt
and range away from the den at about 3 months.
-many foxes die in their first year
Food
-Arctic foxes are omnivorous
-In summer, arctic foxes feed primarily on small mammals, including lemmings
and tundra voles
-Foxes denning near rocky cliffs along the seacoast often depend heavily on
nesting seabirds such as auklets, puffins, and murres
-They sometimes eat berries, eggs, and scavenged remains of other animals
-Arctic foxes may move long distances over sea ice
Death
-In areas where lemmings and voles are the most important summer prey, numbers
of foxes often rise and fall with cyclic changes of their prey.
-Fewer pups are successfully reared to maturity when food is scarce.
-There is evidence indicating that competition for food among young pups
accounts for some of the heavy mortality in this age group.
People and foxes
Arctic foxes are abundant in many areas. Their numbers do not seem to be
greatly affected by trapping
-sometimes become nuisances around settlements.
-They are susceptible to rabies and can transmit this disease to humans.
Refrences
(1)www.state.ak.us/adfg/notebook/furbear/arcfox.htm
costiner"at"mit
Last updated: Nov 12,
03